


Safehouse

by PrePsychPineappleLover



Category: Psych
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Hurt Shawn Spencer, Hurt/Comfort, Shawn Spencer Whump, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-09-07 14:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20310784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrePsychPineappleLover/pseuds/PrePsychPineappleLover
Summary: “Yeah, probably not a good idea to taunt violent criminals, fellas.” Craig said. “You never know, they might escape, get out some day, and believe me… they hold grudges.” – And no one thought it would end this badly.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is what came to my mind when I watched “Ferry Tale” again. It takes place somewhere at the beginning of season 7 with one small exception: Juliet already knows Shawn’s secret. They date but they’re not living together yet.

** Safehouse  **

It was that dead time of night, shortly after 3 a.m. The time when the sound of silence is so overwhelming that it’s deafening. When the night is at its darkest.

Some lonely guards were walking up and down their instructed paths on this the safely double fenced premises. Seeming as if they were the only lifeforms on earth right now.

It was the perfect night for a prison break.

A shout ripped through the silence and then way-too-bright light flooded Santa Barbara County Jail. People were yelling, running feet echoed through the corridors and a siren started blaring. The consummating silence of the night was over.

A few kilometers away, four men in bright orange suits came to a halt. It wasn’t until they had crossed the highway and found themselves in a dark cemetery that they dared to stop. They looked around, each taking a breath.

“Did we lose them?” one of them asked.

Another man straightened up, answering, “Yeah, I think we did.” And with a smug grin he added, “It’s revenge time, boys.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other side of town, a young couple was slumbering peacefully in their bedroom. The man had encircled his girl in his arms, and he was snoring softly. She had intertwined his fingers with hers, holding them in front of her chest. Though she was sleeping soundly, she wore a smile on her face, dreaming of the man holding her close. But their silence was disturbed when a phone started ringing on the bedside table.

Shawn winced, pulling Juliet closer, who moaned in annoyance at the unwanted sound. “Maybe if we ignore it, it’ll stop eventually.” he mumbled, voice still rough from sleeping.

Juliet halfheartedly tried to wiggle out of his embrace. “I don’t think so.” she said tiredly, unable to stifle a yawn. “Shawn, let me go. It could be the station.”

Shawn smirked. Neither of them had gotten much sleep that night. “So?” he asked.

“_So_, it could be an emergency.” Juliet argued, but she was seemingly still too tired to move a muscle.

Pleased with himself, Shawn’s smile widened. He kissed her temple and then stretched over her to reach the phone. “Don’t worry. I’ll take it.”

“Thanks.” Juliet mumbled, already half-asleep again.

“Hello, who dares to disturb our peaceful night?” Shawn demanded.

_“__Mr. __Spencer?”_ Chief Vick answered on the other end of the phone, seeming confused for a moment. “_Oh, good. You’re there too. We’ve been trying to call you!”_

“Oh, sorry. My phone was—“

_“It doesn’t matter now.”_ she interrupted him. _“You and O’Hara need to come to the station. ASAP… It’s an emergency.”_

“Oh, is it really?” Shawn winked at Juliet, who understood and rolled her eyes.

_“__Mr. Spencer, listen to me!”_ Chief Vick emphasized. _“__This is a very serious situation. I can’t stress enough how important it is that you two get here!”_

“Alright, alright. I understand.” Shawn affirmed, throwing the covers back with a sigh. “Jules and I are on our way.”

_“__Good… Be careful.”_ she added cryptically and then hung up.

Shawn frowned. _Why should we be careful?_

Juliet sat up, as if she already knew there was something serious going on. “What?” she asked, upon seeing Shawn’s baffled face.

“Chief wants us down at the station, ASAP.” His frown deepened. “I think something really bad has happened.”

Juliet stretched her back, feeling more awake now. “Well, let’s find out what it’s about.” Kissing away the lines on Shawn’s forehead, she added, “I’m sure it’s nothing _we_ can’t handle.”

Shawn smiled back at her. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”


	2. Chapter 2

Shawn and Juliet were holding hands when they walked into the station. Everybody knew about them anyway, and despite the fact that their relationship wasn’t all that new anymore, they weren’t quite past the phase of being all over each other. Only when they entered the Chief’s office they dropped their hands.

“Wow, are we late to the party?” Shawn asked, looking from Gus and his father to Lassiter and Chief Vick, who were all seated around the circular table in Vick’s office. “What’s everybody doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“Just sit down, Mr. Spencer. We have something to discuss.” Chief Vick ordered sternly.

Shawn sat down between Juliet and Gus, who still wearing his PJ’s and a tired expression on his face. Shawn leaned over to him. “What is this all about?” he asked his buddy quietly.

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell us anything until you got here. Do you think…” Gus stopped talking, rising his brows and widening his eyes, implying his fear that the Chief maybe wanted to talk about the whole psychic charade.

“No. Are you crazy? She can’t know. I’m covered.” Shawn whispered back almost inaudibly, slightly nodding to Juliet, the only other person who knew about his secret besides his father. Shawn and Juliet had an agreement and Shawn knew that she wouldn’t sell him out.

“Would you two stop whispering like school girls and pay attention so we can all find out what the hell is going on!” Lassiter barked. His patience was thinning quickly because, for once, he was not in the loop.

Wordlessly, Vick put down four mugshots in the middle of the table where everybody could see them. “Remember these men?” she asked, and suddenly had everyone’s attention. “All four of them are convicts from previous SBPD homicide investigations. Each of these men were convicted of murder and put away for life.” She slowly looked at everyone around her table, then she continued. “Three hours ago, they all managed to escape from Santa Barbara County Jail.”

“What!” Lassiter exclaimed. “How could this happen?”

Vick held up a hand. “One thing at a time, Detective.” She pointed at the first convict on the photo. “First, we have Michael Rollins. The man who killed his partner Garth Longmore and kidnapped Mr. Spencer after he managed to divine their plan to rob an armored car.”

Shawn stiffened almost unnoticeably. _Of all the bad guys I’ve come across, it had to be that one? _He asked himself. _That’s just my luck._ Shawn felt the scar on his left shoulder suddenly itching, but he refrained from touching it. Though, as if she knew what he was thinking, Juliet grabbed Shawn’s hand under the table, squeezing it reassuringly. Chief Vick carried on, oblivious to their exchange.

“Rollins was in and out of prison his whole life, getting caught up in drug wars and killing several innocent civilians in cold blood. After his run-in with Mr. Spencer, he was finally put away for life, considered unstable and dangerous.

“Then, there’s Daniel Wayne.” Vick continued. “He had killed his partner on the force when he mistook him for J.T. Waring, the man they were after at the time. But instead of coming clean, Wayne framed Waring for the murder. When Mr. Spencer figured it out, Wayne threatened to murder both him and Scott Seaver, whom he had put in witness protection, to tie up his loose ends. This, tied with the man’s colorful past, officially put Wayne behind bars for life.”

Chief Vick then moved to the Asian man. “This is Tom Fong. Convicted of double homicide on Bolivian diplomats, again, thanks to Mr. Spencer. Fong was jailed in a CIA detention center, where he was brutally beaten by his inmates due to his previous work for the Agency.” Gus winced at that, not wanting to imagine such a level of graphic violence, but his friends, as usual, seemed to be made of sterner stuff. The Chief continued, “Fong’s former partner then arranged his transfer into our prison, where his life would no longer be at risk.

“And finally, we have Dane Northcutt.” Vick concluded. “A very dangerous man, imprisoned for several homicides as the hitman for a drug lord. He had formed a brotherhood in prison, with whom he had managed to escape captivity before. Surely, we can all remember the disaster that occurred on that ferry.” She narrowed her eyes at Shawn and everyone else looked at him accusingly.

“Oh, come on, guys.” Shawn moaned, rolling his eyes. “I swear, I had no other option than to take matters into my own hands.”

“Uh, may I remind you of options one through twenty-three?” Gus objected.

“No, but I can remind you to suck it!” Shawn shot back.

“_Anyway,_” Chief Vick stressed, before the banter could get out of hand. “When we locked him up again, there were rumors that he wanted to take revenge on the man who put him back in jail.” She paused, looking right at Shawn. “You.” she said grimly. “I think you all are beginning to see what I’m getting at.”

Gus’ and Juliet’s eyes widened simultaneously, unsettled by the realization they both came to. Lassiter and Henry both muttered something under their breaths what could’ve only been swear words. Shawn, however, blinked at the Chief in confusion after the first moment of shock subdued.

“No, Chief, I don’t. I don’t see what you’re getting at.” he said. “This has nothing to do with just me, if that’s what you’re implying. I may have been the one who saw through their act, but Gus was always with me. And Lassie and Jules arrested those men. And my Dad… well, I’ll admit I still have no idea what he’s here for.” Henry glared at his son, but Shawn ignored him and continued. “There’s no way you would know for sure that they have it in for me, alone.”

“I wouldn’t… but unfortunately, there’s more to the story.” Vick admitted, an apologetic look on her face. “I was informed a while ago that Northcutt _did_ form another brotherhood. This specific brotherhood is composed of men who each want to take revenge on the same man who brought them in and effectively ruined their career. That man was _you_, Shawn. You are the common denominator. Now that they’ve broken out of the jail, we can only assume their goal is to find you.”

Juliet paled, a look of pure horror on her face. Gus worriedly eyed his friend from the side, as if trying to read his mind. But Shawn gave nothing away. He only stared back at the Chief in disbelief.

“What the hell, Karen! How can this be?” Henry demanded, enraged. “He’s not even a real cop! And he gets targeted by a whole prison brotherhood? Why weren’t they separated?”

“Believe me, they were, Henry.” The Chief said. “There were simply too many. For not being a real cop, your son’s conviction rate is surprisingly high.”

Lassiter snorted and crossed his arms, muttering, “My conviction rate is certainly even higher, but you don’t see anyone escaping prison to take revenge on me.”

Ignoring her Head Detective’s self-pity, Vick added, “By separating them, it only caused the brotherhood to spread wider.” She shook her head. “Those four managed to slip through and form a plan to escape. And they succeeded.”

“Those damn prison guards!” Lassiter huffed again. “We do all the hard work of putting those bastards behind bars and those stupid oafs can’t even keep them there? How did they even escape?”

“They paid off a warden to turn a blind eye.” Vick explained. “We don’t have all the facts yet, but it looks like Rollins was the one who could arrange that, having contacts in and outside of prison. This seems to have been planned for months. Despite the prison’s measures of precaution, they didn’t see it coming.”

“But you _expected_ that something like this will happen eventually, right?” Shawn asked with a strange calmness that was new for him. Everyone looked at him wary as he was clearly struggling hard to keep his voice down. “You said there were rumors. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Shawn wanted to yell at the Chief and he didn’t even know exactly why. He assumed that it was partly because she kept this important information concerning him to herself and partly because he was truly worried that his life was apparently threatened in a very real and dangerous way. He briefly imagined what it would be like if every criminal he had put behind bars was out to get him. Shawn recollected every face, every angry, even murderous glance he received. _I would be a dead man walking._ Even if there were actually only _four_ men out, it wasn’t a pretty picture. It was serious and un-Shawn-like and it made him feel more than uncomfortable.

Chief Vick sighed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Spencer. I know this is a lot to take in right now, but I kept my concerns quiet for your own protection.”

Shawn and Henry both snorted stubbornly, clearly not buying it. The Chief ignored their disagreement deftly and continued. “I didn’t want you to live in constant fear that there’s someone out there trying to harm you, Shawn.” Vick addressed him by his first name, showing worry for her consultant that was almost motherly. But, like a child, he just kept sulking.

“I think I have the right to know about my prison fan club. I might have sent them some autographs.” Shawn joked, covering his uncertainty. “And just so you know, I’m not afraid of some sore losers looking for revenge. I have a badass girlfriend looking out for me, Gus as my human shield, and my Dad, who will scare everyone away with just one of his ridiculous Hawaiian shirts. Plus, I managed to outsmart all four of them in the first place, so I can do it again. And I will, Chief.” Shawn stood up energetically. “Come on, who’s with me?” he announced, looking challengingly at Gus and Juliet.

“Sit down, Mr. Spencer! I’m not letting you walk out of here with a target on your back!” the Chief said.

“What? Why not?” Shawn frowned in annoyance.

“Because it’s too dangerous.” Vick pointed out fiercely. “Those men are facing a life sentence. They have nothing to _lose_."

“Well, I don’t care!” Shawn argued determinedly. “Those guys will hurt innocent people if they don’t get what they want. You said it yourself: they have nothing to lose! So if they want me, they can get me. Just use me as bait. It’s the easiest way to lure them out of their hiding place.”

“Shawn, I don’t think this is a good idea.” Gus remarked nervously.

“Yeah, I’m with Gus on this.” Henry said. “I’m not going to let them use you as bait, son. There’s too much what can go wrong!

“With all due respect, Henry.” Lassiter chimed in. “We can’t show weakness when it comes to these kind of things and you know that. What would you have said if this wasn’t your son?”

“That doesn’t matter, because he is!” Henry argued, glaring at the Head Detective with menace. “And I’m not going to let him get himself killed because we overlooked someone!”

“Okay, enough!” Vick exclaimed. “Both of you.” She waited until both men settled down again, “I agree, Lassiter, that we shouldn’t be the ones stepping back, but Henry is right. There are too many variables. We can’t know how far they would go for revenge. For all we know, they could have any number of other gang members outside of prison.”

Shawn sighed. Using himself as a decoy, which had its own dangers, of course, was simply the fastest way to end this situation and keep his loved ones safe. “So, what are you suggesting?” he asked in defeat.

“I’m not _suggesting_ anything.” Vick said. “I order you to go into a safehouse until we get the situation under control.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

_ Two weeks later:  _

Shawn lied on his back, staring at the ceiling. For the umpteenth time he memorized the grain of the wooden slats above him. There was nothing else he could do. He didn’t know where exactly he was and he didn’t know when he would be free again.

_Actually, there isn’t much difference between being captured here and being captured by a murderous prison brotherhood. Except the whole killing thing,_ Shawn mused. _At least the sofa is cushy._ He spent most of his time on it anyway.

“I can’t believe I’m still trapped here.” Shawn shifted his weight on the plushy couch in the main room of his personal little prison.

The house was decorated homey but plain. It had a small living space with an open kitchen, a flat screen TV (something he specifically asked for, among other luxury items as a condition for him to move in that even _he_ was surprised they did) and boring-colored walls and floors. His only private room was his bedroom. An open staircase led down to a narrow hallway and the rooms of his bodyguards for when they took turns in babysitting him. Strategically placed between his floor and the only exit door to the safehouse. _Duh._

As Shawn was lying on the couch, staring at the plain, boring, white ceiling, he felt like the blank colors were draining all of his life and joy out of him. He turned to one of the detectives guarding him—Detective Decker—who was in the kitchen reading the newspaper. “So,” Shawn started, “did anyone—“

“No,” snapped Decker. “No one left you a message, there is nothing you can do to help the case and, for the millionth time, _no_, you can’t go outside.”

Shawn shut his mouth. Decker had nearly listed, word-for-word, exactly what Shawn wanted to say. Shawn crossed his arms stubbornly. “Someone’s Detective Crabbypants today.”

Detective Riley—Shawn’s other guard—rolled his eyes as he walked over to him with his coffee mug in hand. “You’ve been here for almost two weeks now. The rules should start to sink in. Even into your stubborn brain.”

“What can I say?” Shawn said, shrugging. “I have a terrible memory.” He felt a small smile twitch his lips at the irony.

The two detectives fell silent again and Shawn groaned, rolling his eyes and sinking down onto the couch again while covering his face with a pillow. Decker and Riley might have been some of the best at their jobs to protect the city from criminals, but they were horrible at small-talk.

When Shawn first arrived here, he was absolutely hyper. He paced in his room, babbled constantly and tried to build up an ongoing conversation with them. In his desperation to keep himself entertained he even started to clean up after himself because he was so extremely bored.

_This is worse than the Ritalin pills I had to take as a kid,_ Shawn thought. _Just put ADD kids into safehouses with the two most boring people on the planet and they will go from completely insane to hopelessly lethargic within a week._

Riley lifted the pillow from Shawn’s head, looking down at him and trying to put up a genuinely friendly face. “You look like you could also use some coffee.”

“_No_.” Shawn stated clearly. “Definitely no coffee. Unless you want me climbing up the walls. And for all the coffee you drink, you’d think _you’d_ be the hyperactive one.” Decker and Riley exchanged a look and Shawn shook his head. “I’ll be in my room, doing a workout. Tell me if you finally bored enough to have a conversation.”

With that he stood up and walked to his room. He closed the door and programmed the treadmill. _Thank god for this treadmill,_ Shawn thought gratefully. At least he could _pretend _that he could run anywhere he wanted. He’d done this often over the last two weeks. Closing his eyes, running in place and pretending to feel the sun and wind on his face as he ran back home to Juliet and Gus.

_God,__ I miss them. _He increased the pace.

It was Juliet who finally convinced him after he vastly refused to lock himself up while his friends were out there in danger.

_“I don_ _’_ _t want to lose you, Shawn._ _” _ _she had said to him. “Not after all we’ve been through. So please_ _… _ _please say that you sit this one out. Go into the safehouse while we_ _’_ _re fighting this fight for you. Just this one time. Can you do that_ _… _ _for me?_ _”_

Shawn ran faster. Of course, he’d caved. He loved her and he could truly understand her worry. He would ask her to do the same thing if she were in his position. But two weeks later, Shawn felt like he couldn’t possibly go on any longer without hearing her sweet voice or touching her beautiful face. He was denied both phone calls and visitors so he missed her desperately. And he certainly didn’t care how lovesick that just sounded in his head.

Shawn opened his eyes again and turned off the treadmill. He supported himself on the machine, panting and waiting for his heart to slow down_. If this keeps up much longer, __I__’ll go completely berserk!_

He had just caught his breath again when he heard voices from the living room. Shawn straightened up. It sounded like Riley and Decker were having an actual conversation. “Whaaat?! Unbelievable, have my prayers been heard?” Shawn asked himself aloud and swung open the door.

“Okay, you have to tell me. Who broke first?” Shawn asked enthusiastically. Decker and Riley stood side by side with their backs to him. When Shawn spoke they stepped aside, giving view to a much smaller person.

Shawn stopped and furrowed his brows. “Chief?”

“Mr. Spencer.” she responded with a small smile.

Shawn grinned broadly, rushing over to the blonde woman and hugging her before she could stop him. “Oh, Chief, you have no idea how awesome it is to see you! I was soo bored! And those two know nothing about entertainment!” he complained, giving his guards the evil eye.

“Okay, Mr. Spencer. Let go of me.” the Chief said uncomfortably.

Shawn stepped back. “What’s going on? What happened to the ‘no visitors’ rule?” he asked.

“Shawn, I’m afraid I’m still only here as your superior, not as a friend.” the Chief reminded him bitterly.

Shawn’s face fell. _Of course, if she came by to talk to me in person then something must have happened. _His mind was already spinning with worst-case scenarios about Juliet, Gus, his dad. When he was forced to leave them behind, he knew that Northcutt’s gang wouldn’t just give up only because he’s not available to them. “Oh, no. What happened?”

Vick looked at him grimly. “Mr. Guster was attacked.”

“Oh, god.” Shawn’s stomach turned. “Is he alright? Please tell me that he’s alright!”

“He’s fine… relatively.” the Chief said. “Mr. Guster is in the hospital right now and is getting treated for a mild concussion.” When Shawn looked too shocked to answer, she continued, “Mr. Guster was on his way to his car after work this afternoon when two members of the gang, Tom Fong and Michael Rollins, came up to him from behind. They attempted to abduct him, but the bodyguard who is responsible for Mr. Guster’s safety surprised them and shot Fong. Rollins took off running, but we were able to arrest Fong. This is a huge success; Fong is one of the most dangerous members of the group. Lassiter is interrogating him as we speak.”

Shawn slowly glanced up at his boss. Shawn could tell she was trying her hardest to keep up her confident smile as she told him the good news. But Shawn couldn’t care less about the arrest. “So, Gus was hurt.” he said flatly.

“Mr. Spencer, I know this is hard for you, but on the upside—“

“There is no upside!” Shawn interrupted Chief Vick furiously. “Gus was _hurt_! He was almost kidnapped or killed or _worse_! You _promised_ me that those guards would keep them safe. _All_ of them! What about Jules and my dad?”

“They are still guarded 24/7.” Chief Vick assured him. “We were prepared for this. We have teams actively searching for the rest—”

“Really? Or are you just going to wait until they try again?” Shawn asked, eyes glowering dangerously.

“Mr. Spencer!” Vick warned. “Calm down. You know that this is the only option we have!”

“I will not _calm down!”_ Shawn argued, angrily noticing that Decker and Riley stepped closer to him in case he would do something rash. “I _knew_ that this would happen! _I_ should’ve been bait not them, not Gus! They have nothing to do with this. They shouldn’t be getting in any danger!”

“I understand your frustration, Shawn, but we are doing the best that we can!” Chief Vick exclaimed loudly, glaring at Shawn venomously. Shawn glared right back at her as she continued, “I know that you don’t like this. I don’t either. But no matter how we attempt to handle this situation, lives will be at risk. We are doing our best to put an end to this. Mr. Guster, your father and even Detective O’Hara will be assigned a second guard watching over them day and night. Trust me, I want this to be over just as much as you do.”

_Just as much as I do? Not possible, _Shawn thought, but he sat down anyway, ruffling a hand through his hair with a sigh. He thought about Gus, lying in a hospital bed with a concussion and he couldn’t even be there for him and apologize. _What if Northcutt__’__s __gang _had_ managed to take him? If they kidnapped him or even worse? And what would they have done_ _next?_ The thought quickly lead to an even more terrifying one. “_Jules._” Shawn whispered, looking up to his boss. “Jules could be next! If you’re going to keep me stuck in this place, at least bring Juliet in here, too!”

“She’s a cop.” Vick said sympathetically. “A damn good one. We need her out there. Like I said, she’s under surveillance at all times—”

“Yeah, like that did Gus any good!” Shawn scoffed. “I should be out there too, being _useful_! I could end this!”

“Mr. Spencer, we talked about this!” Vick said sternly. “I won’t let you out as long as you’ve got a target on your back!”

“Then let me at least call Juliet. I want to make sure that she’s okay.” Shawn pleaded desperately.

“And risking that the call is traced back? No, I can’t allow that. You have to understand that _nothing is safe_ until we catch Northcutt.”

Shawn swore under his breath. “I can’t just sit here and do nothing, Chief! I _can’t._ I need to do _something_!” He stressed desperately when the Chief moved to leave.

“Mr. Spencer, stay put. We are doing our best.” And with a worried sigh, she added, “I’m sorry, Shawn. I truly am.” Then she turned around and Riley accompanied her to her car.

Shawn remained on the couch, thinking and staring ahead. _Stupid__ guards! They couldn’t protect Gus and they’re not good enough to protect Jules! Why can’t the Chief understand that I’m the best solution to this? If I had been out there, Gus wouldn’t have been hurt. And Jules… god, what if Northcutt manages to abduct _her_! I can’t let anything happen to her. I _won’t.

He noticed that Decker watched him suspiciously. _If I try to leave now, they’ll notice, _Shawn pondered. He stood up, going back into his room without a word. _But later__… __later, they can__’t stop me__._

_I’m getting out of this place._

* * *

_I will see Jules tonight._

That was a fact that Shawn was absolutely sure of. It had to happen; he couldn’t go on like this. He needed to see her with his own eyes, feel her with his hands and kiss her with his lips, making sure that she was fine. And making sure she _stayed_ that way. So, for the rest of the day, his desperate mind worked on a fool-proof plan.

_Step one: Get out of the house unseen._

Amazingly, that was way easier than he thought. Luckily, his guards were far more concerned about someone breaking _into_ the safehouse.

Not someone breaking _out_.

Shawn knew the routine of his guards by heart. His chances were best at night when one of them goes downstairs to sleep a few hours. All he had to do was get past the observing one._ I get past people all the time, this shouldn’t be hard._

Shawn was relieved to see that Riley was currently on watch-duty; he was the weaker guard. He was younger than Decker and more trusting than him. And…

He adores his coffee.

Shawn was sitting in the living room with Riley for only a few minutes before Riley announced that he would brew himself a pot for his nightshift.

“No, don’t worry. You don’t have to get up.” Shawn said quickly. “You work all day long. Let _me_ make you some coffee. I can totally do that for you.”

Riley only sat back on the couch with a shrug. “Alright, if it makes you happy. Make it black.” he said, focusing back on the TV. Shawn silently thanked his lucky stars again that Decker was asleep; he was far stricter with Shawn than Riley was.

“You got it.” Shawn smiled, bustling into the kitchen. His smile faded as he attentively glanced back to Riley, who was sitting on the couch with his back towards him. Shawn started the coffeemaker and fished for the small plastic sheet in his pocket.

Sleeping pills.

It wasn’t really that challenging to convince the detectives that, with everything that had just happened that afternoon about Gus, he needed sleeping pills to get a good night sleep. Decker and Riley gladly got him the pills a few hours earlier in hopes that he would stop getting on their nerves. _Maybe I really should have been nicer to them,_ Shawn considered. He shook his head and concentrated back on the task at hand.

While the coffeemaker was drowning out every other sound he made, Shawn crushed the pills and poured the dust into the coffee mug. _Hmm, I better give him the double dosage or they won__’__t take effect together with all that caffeine_. Shawn filled up the mug and brought it over to Riley. “Here, man. Drink it up.”

“Thanks.” Riley said, taking a sip. He grimaced. “Hey, I said I didn’t want sugar."

“Oh, sorry. Terrible memory, remember?” Shawn excused himself, still holding his breath. But apparently, Riley decided that he would make do with the beverage and drank it anyway. Luckily, most people are lazy.

Shawn waited for a bit again, then excused himself, muttering that he was tired and was going to sleep. Riley yawned as a response, but hid it quickly. _Sweet dreams, big guy, _Shawn thought mischievously, eavesdropping behind his door.

It took a whole hour for Riley to finally nod off, coffee mug still in his hand and its contents dripping to the floor. Stealthily, Shawn opened the door. He had to smile to himself, thinking about Gus and his jackal switch._ I’__ll make you proud, buddy._

Shawn continued to tiptoe into the living room and to the stairs, eyes never leaving Riley’s sleeping figure. He crept down the staircase, overstepping the stairs that he knew would creak. Now, he had to pass Decker’s door to get to the only exit his stupid safehouse had. Shawn held his breath, creeping forward in a ridiculously slow pace, while he could hear Decker snoring. _Wow, he sounds like a beast. No wonder Northcutt hasn’t tried breaking in here__._ Shawn opened the entrance door just so much that he could squeeze past it and closed it again.

Shawn pumped the air victoriously. _By golly, I did it!_

_Step two: Get to Jules_ _’ _ _house._

_Or actually, step one and a half:_ _Figure out where the heck I am._

Shawn was brought here in the backseat of a car with blacked-out windows. It really felt like being kidnapped. So he needed to figure out where to go first. He poked along the house wall, hiding behind bushes until he could see the open street. Shawn waited another several minutes to observe his surroundings and make sure that no one had followed him. But, seemingly, he was on his own.

As casually as his nerves let him, Shawn walked along the streets, his hoodie drawn into his face so he wouldn’t be recognized, until he found a familiar Jamba Juice store. _I’m at least an hour from Jules’ place. No way that I can walk from here__._ He kept walking until he crossed a busier street where cars were driving even at this time of night.

He knew he was already pushing his luck, but, without much other choice, Shawn waved for a cab. His desire to see Juliet was overwhelming; he threw caution to the wind. After he made sure that the driver didn’t belong to the escaped brotherhood, he gave the cabbie Juliet’s address. 

* * *

Somewhere down the same street, three shady figures sat inside a car and watched their prey escape from his safe shelter. Behind the wheel, Northcutt smiled coldly, excitement igniting his veins. The psychic finally made a mistake.

“There he is!” Daniel Wayne said from the back seat, pointing at Shawn.

“We’re lucky that he’s so stupid.” Rollins mocked. “We should go and get him.” He said, about to throw open the passenger door, his gun cocked and ready.

“No.” Northcutt stopped him fiercely, grabbing his shoulder. “We can’t take him out in front of the safehouse. We don’t know if this isn’t just a dumb police trick.”

“So, what are we doing then? I want to put a bullet in him!” Rollins argued impatiently.

“You’re not the only one.” Wayne growled.

“I won’t just shoot him right here, that’s too easy. Didn’t we _all_ want to play with him first, boys?” Northcutt grinned when his partners nodded in agreement. “We follow him. Let’s see where he takes us… and then we get to have some fun.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your kudos and comments! Keep them coming ;)

Shawn asked the driver to let him out at the end of the Juliet’s street so he could walk the rest of the way without drawing attention to himself. Again, Shawn had to wait and watch, crouching low in the shrubbery of the neighbor’s front yard. He could make out a familiar face on the driver’s seat of a cruiser, parked in front of Juliet’s house. It was an officer from the station. _He must be one of her guards. But, wait, Chief Vick said there were two guards. Where is the other?_

Shawn waited impatiently. He could see a light on inside the house. She was so close. Shawn flinched when there was a sudden cracking noise from a radio right in front of him. He clamped a hand over his mouth, stopping himself from making a sound and ducked lower. Through the branches of the bush, he could see the other officer’s boots as he was radioing to his colleague: “I completed my route. Nothing to report around the house. I’m coming back now. Over.”

_“Copy that.” _came the other officer’s voice through the radio._ “No suspicious activity on the streets, either. Over.”_

_Ha, no suspicious activity, my ass. _Shawn mocked them in his head. Somehow he hates that he was able to get so close to the house without being seen. _I knew Jules wouldn’t be safe with them. I have to get to her._

_Step three: Get inside of Jules’ house without being seen… or startling_ _her._

When the officer returned to his partner in the car, Shawn hid behind Juliet’s neighbor’s fence, creeping along and climbed over it in the backyard of the house. Looking around alertly, Shawn came up to the glass backdoor and skillfully opened it with the help of his Swiss army knife.

He pushed the curtain to the side._ I’m in. Now I have to find—_

“Freeze! SB—“ Juliet stopped, weapon drawn in front of her and eyes widening in surprise. “_Shawn?”_

He was still standing like a deer in headlights by the window, pocket knife in hand. “Hi, Jules.”

In one swift moment, she holstered the weapon and rushed over to him. Juliet wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders just as Shawn did hers, and he lifted her up, pressing her slender body against his.

“Oh, Shawn, I missed you so much.” she whispered against his neck, unsuccessfully trying to suppress tears.

“I missed you too, sweetheart.” Shawn said, setting her down and immediately covering her lips with a deep, desperate kiss. _Finally. _He cupped her face, fingertips brushing against her soft skin and her hair as he pulled her in closer. She fisted the front of his shirt tightly, standing on her tiptoes to get as near to his face as possible.

Juliet let herself be swept into the kiss for as long as her lungs would let her. Their lips eagerly moving in unison until she absolutely had to break away with a start, catching her breath. Shawn came back again, kissing her with just as much force as tenderness, something only he could do. “_Shawn,_” she gasped, parting reluctantly and gazing into his warm green eyes. “What are you doing here? How did you even—“

“I had to see you, Jules.” Shawn simply stated, wiping the tears from her cheek and resting his head against her forehead.

“But how?” Juliet stressed, stepping back so she could talk to him without being overwhelmed by the urge to kiss him senseless.

“It may have involved some sleeping pills and a lot of hiding in bushes, but I’m here now.” Shawn said, moving in again.

Juliet stopped him by his arms. “_Shawn._ Why do you keep doing these things?! They could’ve seen you!” She struggled between happiness and worry, but the latter eventually dominated.

“They haven’t. Both officers are in the cruiser right now.”

“I meant Northcutt and his gang. They could’ve captured you or shot you on the spot!” Juliet pointed out fiercely. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

“I had to get out, Jules! I was worried about you. Those guards can’t even…” Shawn stopped himself when he noticed that his voice was getting louder. He breathed deeply, getting himself under control again. “The Chief told me about Gus. I couldn’t just sit around any longer. No one should get hurt because of me.”

Juliet squeezed Shawn’s hands, looking compassionately at him. “I know how you feel, I really do. It’s horrible and terrifying not being able or allowed to do anything, but everyone is on high alert. Gus is fine, he doesn’t blame you. He’s safe in the hospital. Northcutt isn’t getting past that security system or the guards. And I’m okay too, Shawn. I’m armed and I’m trained.” She stroked over his rough cheek, trying to soften the fiery fear still burning in his eyes and stepped closer. “But as much as I miss you, you’re not safe out here. You have to go back.”

Shawn took her in his arms once again, hugging her tightly. “You’re not safe here _either._ And I’m here to protect you, sweetie.”

“Shawn—“

“_No_, Jules.” he interrupted her firmly. “I won’t go anywhere without you, okay? It’s either I’m staying here or you coming to the safehouse with me. But I won’t leave you again. Period.” Shawn eased his arms around her to look into her face with seriousness and sincerity. “I love you.”

Juliet swallowed, lips trembling. “I love you, too.”

Shawn brought his face down to her, their noses touching but still a tiny bit of space left between their lips. “Come with me, Jules.”

His breath ghosted over her, but their lips still haven’t touched when she started to answer, “Shawn, I—“

A sudden, sharp, explosive sound. The shattering of broken glass. And Shawn, sucking in an abrupt breath, shaking as he struggled to keep himself on his feet.

And failed.

“Shawn!” Juliet exclaimed, terrified, ducking herself down as another bullet cut through the air, missing her only by an inch. “Shawn!” she screamed again, hovering over his face. She could hear the shouts of her guards outside. More shooting. Shawn groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “Shawn, look at me.” she demanded, horrified, cupping his cheek.

He squinted, looking at her with a pained expression. “I’m fine,” he forced out.

Juliet looked down at him, only now realizing that the side of his shirt was already drenched in blood. “Oh, god.” She ripped the shirt open, pulling her own long-sleeved shirt over her head and pressing it to the deep cut that had graced Shawn’s side.

“Don’t. I’ll ruin your shirt.” Shawn winced as Juliet pressed down on his side.

“Shh. Hold still.”

The front door burst open and one of Juliet’s guards stormed in. “Detective O’Hara, are you—“ He paused at the sight of them. “Mr. Spencer!? How—“

“He’ll be okay! What’s going on outside?” Juliet demanded, still pressing down on Shawn’s side and clutching his hand with hers.

“The shooter must’ve approached the house from the back. He took off toward the street. My partner is chasing after him and I came in to check on you.” he said.

_Oh, no, they’re getting away again,_ Juliet thought. _I can’t let that happen!_ She looked back at Shawn. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m fine.” Shawn winced, trying his best not to get light-headed at the sight of his own blood and the copper smell penetrating his nose. “It’s just a flesh wound, but, Jules, please don’t—“

Juliet cut him off. “I’ll stop them. They’re not getting away with this!” Juliet jabbed a finger at her guard. “You! Put pressure on this wound and request back up. Don’t let this get worse. That’s an order!” Juliet commanded.

“Yes, Detective.” The officer hurried over to the man on the ground, replacing Juliet at her task.

Juliet took one last longing glance back at Shawn. _I’m putting an end to this._ Then she grabbed her gun and went out the front door.

“No, Jules! Don’t go outside!” Shawn struggled on the floor, fighting against the officer who pinned him down. He was punished by a burning pain that coursed from his side throughout his whole body and black spots danced in front of his eyes. When his vision cleared again, Juliet was gone.

* * *

Her bare feet were touching the cold ground. Juliet shivered, still only dressed in her pajama bottoms and her thin top. With her gun at the ready, she walked down the pathway leading to the street.

She looked up and down the street and decided to go right first and then back on the opposite side of the street. _Come on, where are you? I know you’re here somewhere, you scumbags._

Juliet’s foot snagged on something and she almost tripped. She looked down and gasped. The prone body of her second guard was lying on the ground. She bent down immediately and put her fingers to his neck. _He’s breathing and he’s got a pulse, _she tells herself._ He’s just been knocked out. _She stood up, eyes scanning the darkness.

The silence of the night only intensified the fear that slid down her spine and she gripped her gun tighter. Her heart was pumping wildly in her chest every time Juliet looked into another parked car, fully expecting someone to sit there in the dark.

However, she couldn’t understand for the life of her why she was so surprised when it actually happened.

It was Northcutt himself, sitting on the driver’s seat and grinning at her like he had no fear in the world. Juliet was about to demand him to freeze, when, at the same time, the back door opened and someone jumped out. The person slammed something hard over her head before she could even turn around. The short moment of dizziness was enough for her attacker to knock the firearm out of her hand. A shot loosened, but it didn’t hit anything. Juliet was grabbed and pushed towards the open back door. She screamed, her terror disturbing the nightly silence, fighting desperately to free herself. And she probably would have if her attacker didn’t strike her again in the temple, making her lose consciousness instantly.

* * *

When the shot rang out from the street, Shawn felt a sudden coldness overtake him. Fear gripped his heart as he intently listened for more sounds. The officer who was still pinning him down looked towards the door, hand on his gun. A sudden scream pierced the silence. Shawn’s pain was forgotten. That was _Juliet’s_ scream.

With a vicious, forceful swing of his arm, Shawn pushed the officer out of his way and rolled over to stand up. Shawn cried out as his body rebelled against the movement, but he ignored it. The officer yelled at him to stop, but he didn’t care. Clutching his side, he bolted out the door, spotting Juliet’s unconscious form, held up in the arms of Daniel Wayne. She was being shoved into the back door of the car.

_“__Juliet!__” _he shouted, banishing all reasonable thoughts and sprinting down the street just as the engine revved up. _No, I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her. I can’t—_

Suddenly, Northcutt’s head emerged from the driver’s seat, grinning viciously. Shawn all but growled with fury, running faster towards him. _He can’t take her! Not _her_!_ Shawn couldn’t stop himself. Even as Northcutt held his gun out of the window, Shawn still pressed on.

“I figured taking her hurts more than taking you, right?” Northcutt called over the roaring engine. “See you soon.” he added. He raised the gun and fired a single bullet as he accelerated the car.

Shawn inhaled sharply when the bullet bored into the flesh of his left arm, throwing him off balance. Once again, he fell to the ground, hitting his wounded side. He thought that he had cried out, but he couldn’t be sure. All of a sudden everything was blurry. Shawn couldn’t move anymore. The adrenaline left his body and all he felt was numbness. The ground vibrated beneath him when the car speeded away. In the distance someone called his name. Or was it close to him? He looked at the sky above him. _Beautiful stars. I wish Jules could see them, _he mused. Then the stars faded and his night became pitch black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now things start to get reaally out of hand… ;)  
Thanks for reading!

When Shawn came to again, the first thing he sensed was the clinical smell of sanitizer and steady beeping noises. _Oh crap, a hospital,_ Shawn thought and groaned. _I hate hospitals._

“Shawn?” Henry leaned forward in his chair next to Shawn’s bed. He turned to Gus, who was occupying the bed next to his son. “Gus, I think he’s waking up. Shawn, can you hear me?”

Shawn blinked, looking into the worried face of his dad and then Gus, who hurried over to him with a large bandage on his forehead. Shawn smiled, obviously still a bit high from whatever they gave him. “Hey, guys! Long time no see. How’re you doing?”

“How are _we_?” Henry questioned. “Son, _you’re _the one who had to have surgery.”

“Oh. Then what’s with him?” Shawn pointed to Gus’ head.

“It’s nothing, Shawn.” Gus said quickly, seeming to not want to upset him. “I’m only still here for medical observation.”

“Oh, okay.” Shawn accepted drowsily. “Well, what happened?”

“Umm… I’m pretty sure you don’t want to know.” Gus answered carefully. “But, uh… since you’ll find out eventually—“

“You got shot.” Henry said bluntly, hoping to shorten the outburst that was definitely about to come once Shawn got the whole picture. “Two times. One bullet went through your upper left arm and one pierced the flesh on the side of your waist. Surprisingly, it didn’t hit any organs. The doctors are still at a loss how you managed to get so lucky.”

“Yeah, lucky. That’s me.” Shawn chuckled. “Getting shot just because…” Shawn paused. His brain decided that now would be the perfect time for him to remember what happened. _I snuck into Jules’ house. I kissed her. Then a shot. Pain. I was on the floor. Jules. She went out the door…_

“_Jules!_” Shawn exclaimed, finally coming out of his drug-induced fog. “Jules was in that car! She was unconscious and Northcutt…” Shawn remembered looking right into the bastard’s sick-grinning face.

_Taking her hurts more than taking you._

Shawn swallowed. “He’s going to kill her! I have to get out of here _now_!”

“Woah, wait, kid.” Henry put a hand on Shawn’s shoulder, stopping him from getting up. “The police are handling this.” Henry added, although he seemed to know it wouldn’t comfort his son very much. “Lassiter went through the ceiling when he found out what happened. I think he nearly strangled Fong at one point to make him talk. He’s on to them, kid, believe me. There’s no need for you to play hero.”

“God, if they hurt her…” Shawn couldn’t complete his sentence. He flinched, trying to get up and quickly bit back a moan when he actually felt pain for the first time since he woke up. Henry pushed him back down. “I know you want to save her, but you just woke up from surgery! The paramedics got to you quickly, but you went into a shock from the blood loss and your wounds needed stitches. You’re in no condition to get up!”

“How long was I out?” Shawn asked fretfully.

“You got checked in yesterday night. It’s late afternoon now.” Gus said when Henry hesitated.

“Oh, god.” Shawn exhaled, sifting through his hair in despair. _I’ve already wasted so much time!_ “I—I don’t care what condition I’m in, Dad! It’s Jules!” He moved to get up again, only to be restrained once more and this time he couldn’t keep quiet when the stabbing pain flashed through him again.

“Shawn, I can’t let you do this! Hell, you nearly died last _night_!” Henry stressed, desperately trying to make his son understand his fear. “I can’t let you go out and get yourself killed, Shawn.”

“It’s Jules, Dad!” Shawn simply stated. Stubborn green eyes staring into equally unrelenting blue ones. “I—I have to get out. I _have_ to, okay? You can’t stop me!”

“But I can.” a voice suddenly spoke up.

Shawn turned his head, only now realizing that Decker, one of his guards at the safehouse, was standing by the door, looking at him sternly. Riley was mysteriously absent. Probably waiting outside, guarding the hallway so no one could come to him and finish the job. Or so _he_ wouldn’t get even with Shawn for knocking him out with too much sleeping pills. Shawn assumed the latter.

“The entire station is working to find Detective O’Hara.” said Decker. “Once you’re dismissed from the hospital you’re going straight back into the safehouse with higher security standards.”

“I won’t go!” Shawn declared, sitting up as straight as he could muster without grimacing in pain, glaring at Decker with menace. “This is _Jules._ It’s my fault that she’s in danger and I won’t just sit and do nothing when there’s a chance that I can save her! If they want to kill me, they can try and kill me! But if they hurt Juliet…” Shawn shivered with rage, breathing heavily. He clenched his fists tightly, sending pulsing waves of pain from his abdomen and arm through the rest of his body.

Decker sighed inaudibly. “Look, Spencer, I understand how you must feel right now—“

“_No, you don’__t!__”_ Shawn cut him off, his eyes glowing dangerously. “You just want to do your job and protect me, but that’s not the top priority! Not anymore. The Chief said she’ll keep everyone around me safe and I can help her doing that.” Shawn half-heartedly put his finger to his temple as a memory from the night before flashed to his mind; he had seen the license plate of the car that took Juliet before Northcutt sped away. “Just take me to the station and let me talk to Lassiter. I can give them the license plate of the car that took Juliet.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Spencer!” Decker growled. “If you know the plate numbers, tell us now.” He pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

“No way.” Shawn said firmly. “I had to trust you and the other officers with protecting my friends and all you’ve done is let my best friend get attacked and Juliet _kidnapped_! Like hell I’m trusting you to get her back! If you want the plate numbers, you take me to Lassiter. I’m not telling them to anyone but him. _In_ the station.” he added, fighting to remain upright, no matter how much the pain in his side increased from the position.

Decker continued to glare at Shawn unrelentingly, just once breaking eye contact to look at Gus and Henry.

After a short pause, Henry spoke up. “Take him to the station.” He decided in Shawn’s favor, obviously knowing that Shawn’s stubbornness rivaled—and even topped—his. “Otherwise he’s going to try to get there on his own and he won’t stop until he gets what he wants or he’s dead.” Henry looked sternly at his son, then he continued. “Escort him there and stay with him. The SBPD station should be safe. The gang can’t be stupid enough to attack Shawn inside of a police station.”

Decker clearly wasn’t happy about the decision, but he nodded curtly. “I’ll discuss it with Riley.” he said and stepped outside.

* * *

Walking hurt with every step he took, and exhaustion weighed heavily on him. When Henry said he was in no condition to be out of bed, he’d been right. The doctors disapproved of Shawn’s decision to check out, warning him that he needed rest, but Shawn didn’t care. If he couldn’t save Juliet… he didn’t know what he would do. Shawn kept his injured arm close to him protectively, but it didn’t stop it from stinging constantly. Gus and Henry both hovered close to him and Shawn felt Gus eventually take his good arm to keep him steady. Shawn clenched his teeth and ignored the pain. There was no time for whining. Not with Juliet’s life on the line.

Shawn had missed the buzz of activity around him; he missed familiar faces in general. If the situation hadn’t been so severe, Shawn would’ve stopped and greeted every officer personally. Instead, he made his way straight to Lassiter’s desk as quickly as he could manage. From the dark circles under the Head Detective’s eyes and the grim look on his face, Shawn knew that Lassiter must have spent all night looking for Juliet. Shawn was thankful that Lassiter cared about her as much as he did.

“Spencer? How did you get here?” Lassiter asked surprised when he spotted Shawn hurrying over to him and clutching his side. Lassiter’s face twisted in a scowl. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough—“

“Lassie, I have the license plate number on Northcutt’s car!” Shawn exclaimed breathlessly without reacting to his question. “Run it and we’ll find Juliet.”

His anger temporarily pushed aside, Lassiter did what he was told without question. Just then, Chief Vick also noticed Shawn’s arrival, emerging out of her office and eyeing him with a certain warning glance. Shawn could tell he would never hear the end of this, but she said nothing. She silently watched the footage Lassiter pulled up, tracking an old, dark-red sedan through the streets of Santa Barbara. It turned a corner into narrower side streets, but the footage didn’t follow.

“Crap! We lost them. There are no CCTV’s in that area.” Lassiter scowled.

“No, this can’t be it.” Shawn argued. “Rewind the tape.”

“Spencer, their trail runs cold, there isn’t anything else—“

“Just do it!” Shawn interrupted impatiently. He grimaced as the wound in his abdomen throbbed violently, and he gripped the edge of Lassiter’s desk to keep himself from falling over. “If we can't see where they went then let’s find out where they were coming from. Start from Juliet’s neighborhood and follow them back to their starting point.”

Lassiter clenched his teeth and obeyed, hating how much Shawn sounded like a cop; a better cop than himself, that is. He hadn’t even thought of that.

Soon, Chief Vick and Detectives Decker and Riley furrowed their brows, exchanging glances with each other in realization as Northcutt’s car drove through a familiar area and then parked near a specific, plain looking house. Shawn’s heart stopped. He cursed under his breath and sifted a hand through his hair in discomfort.

Gus noticed the change of demeanor. “What? Do you know where this is?” he asked the knowing-half of the group.

“Sadly, we do.” Vick admitted. “This is Mr. Spencer’s safehouse.”

“And that’s me.” Shawn said quietly, pointing to a hooded figure hurrying along the streets while nervously looking around. Soon after him, the red sedan followed. Shawn hung his head in shame and defeat. He couldn’t breathe; the guilt was like a firm knot tightening around his chest, constricting his lungs, clutching, clenching and making him feel lightheaded and sick. _They followed me. I led them to Juliet. It was _me.

“I knew it.” Lassiter growled, glaring daggers at Shawn.

“What?! How could they possibly have found the safehouse?” Henry exclaimed loudly. “Karen, what kind of officers were selected to protect my son?! It’s their job to notice if someone’s following them!”<strike></strike>

“Apparently, the gang knew what they were doing.” Vick said. She massaged her temple. “Remember, Wayne once had the same job as Decker and Riley: protecting civilians in the witness protection program. He knows everything about our procedures. And he once worked together with us on the Scott Seaver case.” She turned to a very quiet Shawn. “He knew you and your relations.”<strike></strike>

“But why didn’t they attack him as soon as they saw him?” Gus chimed in when his friend didn’t react. Shawn’s silence really scared him.

“Does it matter?” Lassiter muttered. “They didn’t for some horrid reason only sick, twisted minds of criminals would understand. And now my partner is in danger because _you_ drew their attention towards her!”<strike></strike>

“Lassiter!” Henry growled, defending his son. “You don’t have to put salt in the wound. He already knows that he screwed up!”

Shawn didn’t counter for once. He knew why they took Juliet instead of him. Northcutt had told him.

_Taking her hurts more than taking you._

Shawn supported himself on Lassiter’s desk, gripping it until his knuckles turned white. His eyes closed and his teeth clenched tightly. Lassiter said exactly what he feared the whole time and now he knew for sure. _It’s my fault. I practically took the gun from Northcutt’s hand and killed her myself._

“Shawn? Hey man, are you listening?” Gus asked carefully, waving a hand in front of Shawn’s face, shaking him from his dark thoughts. “Don’t beat yourself up over this. We’ll get her back.” He laid his hand upon Shawn’s shoulder.

“No, Lassie’s right.” Shawn said, shaking off Gus’ hand. His self-loathing clear in his voice. “They attacked because I was there.”

“Shawn, there’s no need for pointing fingers.” Chief Vick said. “It won’t help Detective O’Hara right now.”

“_Stop saying that!_” Shawn suddenly exclaimed, smashing his good fist down the table. “Stop trying to sugarcoat it! It’s my fault! That’s a fact!” he yelled. “If she… _dies_, it’s my fault!” Shawn turned away, tears burning his eyes. A sudden wave of nausea and dizziness overtook him, swaying the room before his eyes. Before he knew what happened, Shawn was grabbed and pushed into a chair. _Do not vomit or they’ll send you back to the hospital without a doubt_, he warned himself. He squeezed his eyes shut and breathed shallowly.

When Shawn was able to open his eyes again without everything spinning around him, Gus, his dad and Chief Vick all stared down at him with worry. Lassiter still sat in his chair looking like he didn’t care for him in the least.

“I should have known.” Shawn growled, ignoring the pitiful looks. “I should have seen them. After all, I’m—“

“Shawn, don’t…” Henry silenced him before he could say the word ‘psychic’. “Blame yourself.” he ended instead.

Shawn balled his fists, hate still raging right beneath his skin, making him tremble violently. “Whatever… there’s only one way for me to make this right.” he said with determination. “I’m giving myself up to them. They still want me, not Jules.” _I deserve it anyway,_ he thought, but he kept that comment to himself.

“Mr. Spencer, you know what I’ve said about this!” Chief Vick reminded him.

“And you know what I think, dammit!” Shawn lashed out. Clenching his fists made the patched-up bullet hole in his left arm pulse painfully again. He grimaced, reflexively covering it with his good hand, irritation flitting through his veins. “I wouldn’t have to do this if you had protected her like you said you would!”

“Mr. Spencer!” Chief Vick warned. “I hate that it has come to this, but there has to be another way to end this than sacrificing your life too! O’Hara wouldn’t want that.”

She paused for a moment, seeming to be searching her brain for another solution and coming up blank, when Lassiter suddenly shot up from his chair, staring at his computer screen in disbelief and horror. “Oh, god. You’ve got to see this!” he called out.

Even though they were all sure that things couldn’t get any worse, Shawn and the others returned to Lassiter’s screen with the undeniable feeling that they just did. Appalled, Lassiter stepped back and let Shawn see what made even the tough, hard-as-nails detective pale as a ghost.

Juliet.

It was a live video feed. She was bound to a chair, gag in her mouth, a trail of blood from her temple and her cheek swollen from where she was clearly hit. Her eyes were filled with fear and hatred at the same time. But she didn’t let any tears fall.

Shawn’s stomach churned and he had to support himself on the desk so he wouldn’t double over with emotional pain, seeing his love like that. “_Jules_.” he whispered in agony.

Northcutt appeared on screen right next to Juliet’s face. “That’s right, Romeo. We have your girl.” He snickered. “If we had known that you scored a lady like _this,_ we would’ve taken her from the start.” He leered at her. “She’s perfect.”

Somewhere behind Shawn, people were whispering to retrace the signal of the feed immediately, but Shawn was only focused on Northcutt. “Stop looking at her like that! And don’t you dare touch her!” He seethed with rage.

“Oh, good. You really care about her then. Makes it easier to come to an agreement, don’t you think?”

Shawn knew what Northcutt was implying and, though Juliet was ever so slightly shaking her head and widening her eyes at him, he answered, “Listen, you won, okay? You can have me. Just let her go, she has nothing to do with this.”

One of the SBPD tech guys whispered, “Chief, the signal is encrypted. It takes time to decipher the location of the computer.”

“Just hurry!” Vick demanded fiercely.

On screen, Northcutt moved even closer to Juliet. “I wouldn’t hurt a beautiful girl like this. Not on purpose, anyway…” He put an arm around her and Juliet closed her eyes to block the gun that Northcutt held in his hand and was now resting upon her chest from her sight.

The moment Shawn saw the gun, he felt his heartbeat pick up and his breathing quicken, his fists clenched tightly enough to make his palms bleed.

“But I will if you try anything stupid.” Northcutt warned.

“No, please don’t. I’m not doing anything…” Shawn pleaded, hating how desperate he sounded. “Just tell me where you are and we can deal with this on our own. No one has to get hurt just because you have a problem with me.”

Northcutt glared at Shawn, tightening his grip around the gun and Juliet. “You took my freedom from me.” he spat. “And I love my freedom. So I give you _exactly_ one hour to get here, _alone_— no surprises— so you can make things right for me. Violate _one_ of these terms and I will take her from you.” Staring right into Shawn’s raging eyes, he added, “In the most brutal way you can think of. Wouldn’t that be a shame, messing with such a pretty face?” Northcutt leaned in to Juliet, pressing his lips to her red and swollen cheek, causing her to unintentionally spill her tears at last.

Shawn couldn’t take it.

With a cry so absolutely full with fury that it echoed from the walls, Shawn grabbed the first hard object he could find on Lassiter’s desk and threw it forcefully at the computer screen. The monitor cracked and blacked out before he even realized what he had done in his red, blind rage.

“Shawn!”

“Spencer, what the hell!”

Gus and Detective Decker grabbed Shawn’s arms before he could do even more damage. Shawn cried out when his injured arm was bent and he broke free from their grip.

“Spencer, you broke the computer!” Lassiter yelled. “Northcutt was about to tell you where you could find him. How are we going to find Juliet now!?”

Shawn breathed in and out harshly. He could hear his own blood rushing in his ears; the tension and rage hadn’t quite left him yet. “He… he…” Shawn growled, unable to say the words. “I couldn’t… I didn’t want to… I just… snapped.”<strike></strike>

“Great! And now what!?” Lassiter continued ranting.

“Detective, calm down!” Chief Vick called out. “If Northcutt wants his revenge, he will contact Shawn again. In the meantime we can still trace their computer signal. Shawn only wrecked the screen, not the computer. He actually bought us some time.”

Lassiter and Shawn stared at each other. “For your sake, let’s hope that this works.” Lassiter grumbled, turning around to bark at the technicians to fix this mess.

Shawn watched him. Suddenly, feeling weak, he sank down into a chair as a numb feeling began to spread. _What if I just destroyed our only chance to save Jules?_<strike></strike>

Henry moved closer to Shawn. He couldn’t decide how he should comfort him or if it would even make any difference right now. “Son…” Before Henry’s hand could touch his shoulder, Shawn stopped him.

“Leave me alone.” Shawn said. “All of you…” He shut his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to get the world to stop spinning again. “Just leave me alone.”

While the others gave Shawn the space he asked for, Gus looked back to his best friend and tried to hold back his worry. He knew Shawn almost his whole life and he never saw him so full of regret, despair and fear. Seeing Shawn so afraid was the worst. Shawn was never afraid of anything. He was the calm and fearless one. The one who talked gunmen down, while Gus was shivering hopelessly. Shawn looked out for both of them, not the other way around. Gus felt ashamed that he couldn’t be so calm, cool and collected. But now he had to. His friend needed him.

“Hey, buddy, are you okay?” Gus asked Shawn tentatively, sitting down next to him.

Shawn didn’t react to Gus’ question. He stared ahead, a pained expression on his face which told Gus that Shawn was lost in horrible, dark thoughts. “Hey.” Gus tried again, touching Shawn’s shoulder.

Shawn flinched as if realizing just now that someone was sitting beside him. “Gus.” He recognized him at last. “I screwed up. Again.” Shawn balled his fists as he remembered—in perfect clarity—the look on Juliet’s face when Northcutt’s lips touched her cheek. It made his blood boil again. _“__Stupid.__” _He muttered under his breath, slamming his trembling fist down the armrest of his chair and actually welcoming the flashes of pain, feeling like he deserved them.

Gus frowned, deeply worried about his friend. “These tech-guys working on it are really good.” he claimed. “They’ll find Juliet and then we’ll save her.”

Shawn nodded, although they both knew that he won’t be able to form any reasonable thought as long as Juliet was in danger. “Thanks, buddy. But… can you just… give me a second? I, uhm, I have to be alone right now.”

Gus didn’t like the idea of leaving a mentally-unstable Shawn on his own, but he couldn’t bring himself to disagree with his friend in this vulnerable moment. “I just go get you some snacks and check on the IT work over there and then I’ll be right back, okay?”

Shawn didn’t answer. His mind was focused on Jules. The tears she spilled when Northcutt touched her. He shivered again, both with disgust and anger. I’ve done that to her. Shawn’s guilt was gnawing at his heart, crushing it bit by bit. I failed her, his mind screamed mercilessly at him. With a frustrated growl, Shawn lowered his head, tearing at his hair with both hands as tears sprung to his eyes. He couldn’t tell if it was because of his guilty feelings or his stitches rebelling against the strain.

Suddenly, Shawn’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He looked up, noticing at the same time that Gus was on his way to the vending machine to get him something to eat.<strike></strike>

Quickly, he fished the phone out of his jean pocket and looked at the caller ID. _Unknown_. Someone had sent him a text message, consisting of only an address and a warning:

_Come alone or she’s dead._

Shawn glanced over to where Lassiter, the Chief, his dad and his bodyguards were gathered around the station’s technicians, who were working hard on tracking the gang’s whereabouts. _I won’t get a chance like this again._

Shawn didn’t even want to think about how Northcutt could get ahold of his private phone number. All he could think about right now was a vague plan. No, actually, the absence of a plan. He just followed his gut. Like he always did. He had to do it. Even though his friends would probably disagree… Shawn couldn’t bring himself to care.

Eyes on his friends and colleagues, he sidled off towards the room where the police kept their equipment. Without second guessing at all, Shawn grabbed some gear and a gun and was off to his probable death.


	6. Chapter 6

Shawn parked the squad car he stole from the police parking lot a few blocks away from the address that was sent to him: an old, empty factory building by the docks. Shawn crept along the side wall of the building, nearing the front side. His heart pumped wildly and his wounds pounded in unison. Shawn had to concentrate hard to breathe quietly despite the strain his body had to endure. _Now is not a good time for weakness_, he kept telling himself every time his sight started to swim.

He peered around the corner and spotted Rollins guarding the entrance door. _Okay, down to business_. Shawn reached for the gun, noticing that his hands started shaking. He balled them, forcing the shaking to stop and pressed himself against the wall. He closed his eyes, sending a silent prayer to the sky that the adrenaline would make him forget his pain. Shawn tightened his grip on the gun, unlocking it and aiming to shoot.

He hesitated.

It wasn’t that he doubted that he could hit him. Shawn knew that he could; his father taught him how to shoot. He hesitated because he was no killer. No matter how badly he needed to get in there, he couldn’t just shoot him. Besides, he would attract too much attention if he did.

Panic rose within him as Rollins started to turn his head in Shawn’s direction. _I have to do something _now_!_

Impulsively, Shawn charged Rollins, striking him from behind with the butt of his gun and all of his power. He could tell that Rollins recognized him the second Shawn knocked him out, but his eyes already rolled back in his head and he was unconscious.

Shawn clutched his side, groaning behind clenched teeth and nearly fell to his knees as the jerky, forceful movement pulled at his stitches. _Keep it together, you can’t go down already! _He breathed through his nose, waiting until he subdued the urge to throw up from dizziness and pain.

Slowly, he returned to his mission, securing Rollin’s hands behind his back and tying his feet together with zip ties he took from the station. _One down, two to go._

Now he had to get in without being seen. Shawn already checked the back door; it was securely locked with a metal chain. But the windows were old. He could pick the lock from outside and pull it open. Shawn chose a window near the back, hoping that he would be out of Northcutt’s and Wayne’s sight. He held his breath so he wouldn’t cry out from pain when he maneuvered his body through the narrow opening.

Sweat trickled down his temple and his vision blurred temporarily. But he was in. And, in all honesty, that’s farther than he thought he would get without attracting attention.

Shawn stood inside of a small room that once seemed to have been an office. He heard voices arguing in the main room and pressed on towards the connecting door. There were some crates and canvas covers blocking his view, but that served him just right. He could get closer without being seen and understand what the voices were saying.

“…taking too long. We shouldn’t have to contact him again!”

“It has been barely twenty minutes past the time you gave him. Believe me, he’s coming for this girl. He was all jealous of this other guy when I met him.”

_That must be Daniel Wayne talking, referring to Scott Seaver, _Shawn thought, briefly remembering just how jealous he had been.

“Let’s hope you’re right. I’m not just going to let this go. I want my revenge!”

“I know, we all do! Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean you’re the only one who’s eager to kill this pain in the neck. I want to see him suffer, too.”

Shawn swallowed. _These two really sound pissed off._ He knew that there was almost no room for him to play or stall. They were absolutely serious. They wanted to end his life. _Or Jules’,_ Shawn recalled angrily.

More determined than before Shawn snuck closer. He could see each of them in the middle of the room. There was Juliet, still bound to the chair and a small desk with a computer across from her. More blood was visible on her face since the last time he had seen her, but she was conscious. Raving anger coursed through Shawn’s veins, daring to bubble over, but he pushed his fury aside. He needed steady hands right now. And they were; the nervous shiver from before vanished instantly as soon as he saw with his own eyes what was at risk here.

Again, Shawn aimed his gun. His heart and his mind filled up with strong determination to save Juliet, making him ignore all throbbing pangs and dizziness. He was calm and cool. This time there was no other way. He had to shoot, otherwise the chances of Juliet _and_ him getting out alive would sink drastically. Shawn knew what he had to do.

* * *

On the other side of the factory hall, Juliet’s eyes widened when she saw a figure peering over a crate on the far backside of the room. _Oh god, could that be him?! If I can see him, they can see him too! _Juliet tried to mumble something through the stale fabric of the gag in her mouth to distract her captors from Shawn.

“What?” Northcutt snarled, pulling the gag out of her mouth.

“You… You’re nervous.” Juliet wheezed, finally able to breathe properly. “And you have every reason to be.”

“Oh, yeah? What makes you think that? I could easily end you right now.” Northcutt said, showing her his gun.

“But you won’t.” Juliet claimed boldly. “_You_ want to take revenge on Shawn. _You_ want to look him in the eyes when you pull the trigger. That’s why you took the risk to wait for him. But that’s where you made your mistake.” she said. “Because you underestimate him. You have no idea what he would do for me. What he _can_ do! He’s so much smarter than you!”

Northcutt and Wayne looked at each other, grinning at what they thought was only their hostage’s desperate fear. “Quite a speech, pretty lady.” Northcutt laughed. “And what takes your knight in shining armor so long?”

Juliet stubbornly pressed her lips together, letting the men share a laugh at her… until a bullet whizzed through the air and found its target.

Wayne cried out when his right wrist was struck, causing him to involuntarily send his gun flying into a dark corner of the warehouse. Just as he clutched his wrist, another shot was fired, hitting his knee. Again, he cried in pain, collapsing to the floor.

Northcutt nervously pointed his gun around, looking for the shooter. When he couldn’t see him, he swiftly stepped over to his captive and pressed his gun to her bleeding temple. “_Hey!_ Come out now or I’ll shoot a bullet right through your girlfriend’s head!”

Shawn knew that this threat would come. His heart fluttered, but he had to stay calm. He couldn’t allow Northcutt’s words to get into his mind. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out from behind his hiding place with his hands up. Northcutt immediately trained the gun on him, watching Shawn’s every move as he stepped forward.

“That’s close enough!” Northcutt said gruffly and Shawn stopped. “Now, put your gun down.”

Shawn risked a glance at Juliet, frozen with fear because the barrel was pointed at his head. Without his gun it was so much harder to make her fear go away. His urge to speak to her, to tell her that everything will turn out fine was overwhelming. He opened his mouth to form words, hesitating, not trusting that his voice could mask the fear he felt growing deep inside of him.

_“Drop it!”_ Northcutt yelled, grabbing Juliet’s shoulder roughly and forcing the gun against her skull again, making her wince.

“Okay.” Shawn surrendered, his heart skipping a beat. “Take it easy.” Not once breaking eye contact, Shawn got down on his knee, putting the weapon on the floor and straightened up again while fighting to keep a straight face as his side throbbed violently from the movement.

Northcutt noticed it anyway and grinned. “Aww, does it still hurt?” When Shawn only ground his teeth for an answer, Northcutt was suddenly serious again. “Scoot it over.” he demanded.

Shawn did as he was told. Northcutt stopped the gun with his foot and kicked it to the side.

Northcutt smiled, pulling the barrel away from Juliet’s sweaty temple and training it on Shawn. He grinned in victory, clearly satisfied by the fact that he had the situation under his complete control, even though Wayne became very quiet on the floor.<strike></strike>

“Alright, you have me, now. So you can leave her alone.” Shawn said quickly. “This is what you waited for, right? Let her go.”

“No, shut up, Shawn!” Juliet protested, tugging at her bonds. “I’m not going to let him kill you!”

“Jules, I’m sorry—“ Shawn started before he was cut off by Northcutt.

“Stop it! I don’t want to hear your touchy-feely speech.” Northcutt moved over to the table where the laptop was set, not once lowering the gun from Shawn’s head. He grabbed a pair of handcuffs and threw them over to Shawn. “Put them on behind your back. And turn around, so I can see if you make them tight enough.”

Shawn picked up the handcuffs. His mind was racing, thinking feverishly about another way to avoid the unavoidable. But he came up blank. No matter what he would try now, the scenario in his mind always ended with him or both of them dead. That was not acceptable; at least Juliet had to live. He couldn’t allow Northcutt to kill her. He wouldn’t. While he was thinking, he had already put on the handcuffs and any time for stalling had run out.

Northcutt grinned. “Good. Now to the fun part.” He put the gun on the table, securely out of Juliet’s reach and slowly rolled up his sleeves. Shawn swallowed. He stepped backwards although he knew that he couldn’t run away. Juliet was still in danger. He was no coward. He wasn’t going to run away, screaming like a little girl. No, he would face this like a man. Albeit, a weak man. A weak, injured, man with two gunshot wounds and handcuffs restraining him from fighting back. Shawn braced himself as Northcutt stalked over to him like a predator to his prey. “Wait. Listen… can’t we just—“ Shawn’s air was knocked out of him when Northcutt struck his first blow. Shawn’s head was whipped to the right when Northcutt’s fist then connected with his jaw. He was seeing stars by the third hit, the force of it sending him to the floor.

“Shawn!” Juliet cried out, ripping at the bonds again.<strike></strike>

A kick from Northcutt’s boot into his stomach, made Shawn curl up in pain. He gasped for air, but breathing hurt and his side stung violently.

“Come on. Stand up.” Northcutt snarled. “You’re not telling me that’s all you can handle, are you?” He kicked him again, so that his victim actually slid over the floor.

Shawn cried out. He wanted to hold his side, but his hands were uselessly tied together. The pain in his stomach almost made him puke and when he breathed in there was a burning sensation in his lungs. However, despite all of his pain and fear Shawn forced himself onto his knees. _If this is over, he will torture Jules. I have to hold on until the cavalry comes._ “No.” Shawn wheezed. “You have to… to try harder, if you wanna take me down.”

“Happy to.” Northcutt said, hauling off to kick Shawn’s right side.

Shawn didn’t even recognize his own voice as his agonized scream echoed back from the walls. He fell to the ground again, pain spreading through his body, burning and searing. His stitches wouldn’t hold out that much. Northcutt grabbed him by his collar and punched him in the face again. Everything spun, got blurry and black. Shawn could hear Juliet, screaming as if she was hurt herself. Just for her, he opened his eyes again. “Is ‘at all?” he slurred.

“You want more?”

“You can do whatever you want to me,” Shawn gasped, his only focus on keeping Northcutt away from Juliet. “I don’t care. Do your worst.”

Northcutt grinned venomously. He stood up, kicking against Shawn’s side and making him writhe on the ground. “Oh, I was just getting warmed up. You want to see my worst? Watch closely, psychic.”

Shawn saw how Northcutt turned around to Juliet, who got suddenly quiet when she looked into her captor’s remorseless, evil eyes. Shawn raised his head in alert, trying to get back onto his feet, but the agonizing pain in his side didn’t allow him to move at all. “_Hey_! I said hurt me, not her! You hear me! Only sissies fight girls!”

“It’s okay, Shawn.” Juliet spoke bravely, not averting her gaze from Northcutt as he came close to her face. Northcutt let his fingers run down Juliet’s cheek. She didn’t dare breathing.

“Such a tough girl.” He said, stroking over her face. “I like that.” He fisted a hand full of hair and pulled. Hard. She couldn’t keep quiet.

Shawn tried to scramble to his knees. “_Stop! Let her go!”_ Swearing, he fell back onto the concrete floor when his sight started swimming and his knees buckled and gave way. “D-Don’t you _touch_ her!” Shawn growled, changing his tactic and feeling around in the back pocket of his jeans. _I just have to get out of these cuffs…_

Northcutt clearly enjoyed the power he had over both of his victims, realizing that his exploring of Juliet led to even more satisfying reactions. Letting go of Juliet’s hair, he let his hand wander slowly down her cheek and her neck, grinning viciously into her face as he surpassed her collarbone. Before he could even get close to her chest, Juliet raised her head, spitting into his face. Northcutt stepped back, eyes filling with fury. “You little bitch.”

Juliet yelped in shock when Northcutt punched her so hard that the chair she was sitting in tipped over.<strike></strike>

“_No_!” Shawn yelled, outraged. “I swear to you I’m gonna kill you, you bastard!” He fisted his Swiss tightly in his hand.

“You see, Shawn,” Northcutt said, turning his back towards Shawn and lifting his gun again. “In prison the ‘an eye for an eye’ system prevails. You took my freedom, so it’s only fair that I take away the one thing that means the most to _you_.”

Shawn paused briefly in his struggle to free himself, realizing just what Northcutt was implying. Fear slipped down his spine like ice and he tried hard to keep his hands from shaking as he worked on the lock.

“Shame I’m going to mess with that pretty face after all.” Northcutt said, looking deliberately at Juliet. “But she’s probably more trouble than she’s worth. And you know what? I think I’ll even let you live, psychic. I’ll kill your girlfriend right before your eyes and let you live to suffer with that guilt. You know that this is all your fault, right?” He expected an answer from Shawn, but instead of him, Juliet answered.

“Don’t you dare, assface!” Juliet hissed fearlessly even while lying tied up on the ground.

Northcutt picked up his gun from the table again, fire burning in his eyes as he glared at Juliet for her disrespectfulness. Slowly he walked over to her, gun raised, finger on the trigger.

“_No! No, please, don’t!_” Shawn desperately cried out, heart hammering wildly in his chest. He bit down on his lip to stop himself from screaming as he fumbled with the Swiss, finally unlocking the handcuffs. Swiftly, he stumbled onto his feet, charging with full force against Northcutt’s body and taking him to the ground with him. The gun skidded away.

Shawn instantly started beating Northcutt, breaking his nose and desperately trying to knock the man out. But adrenaline rush or not, his body stubbornly reminded him that he was in fact not ready for a fight like this. His system screamed, begging him to stop, while his mind was working overdrive. _Save Jules. That’s all that matters._

It wasn’t long before Northcutt pushed him to the side, as if it was nothing, letting his fists rain down on Shawn’s face and body. Stitches pulled, air forced out of his lungs his ears rang and his vision blurred. Shawn didn’t stand a chance. Every inch of his body, his skin hurt so much that it was numbing at the same time. It pulsed and throbbed and the stabbing pain in his side was shrill. Like blinding white light or a high pitched scream.

Juliet cried out, yelling his name. Shawn knew that he had to protect her, but he couldn’t even figure out where her cries were coming from. He couldn’t see. Black spots danced in front of his eyes and nausea made him break out in sweat.

_So this is why the doctors insisted that I should rest_, Shawn thought before he realized that Northcutt’s beating had stopped. Shawn heard himself breathing, ragged gasps sucked into his burning lungs. His side felt sticky and wet. His heartbeat sounded loud in his ears whereas Juliet’s cries got drowned out.

_No, not now. I can’t black out now. Open your eyes._

With his last bit of strength, Shawn managed to blink his eyes open only for him to see Northcutt standing over him. The sick grin back in place and the gun… _the very gun_ Shawn had taken from the SBPD, clutched in his hand.

_“No! Shawn! You have to get up! Shawn! SHAWN!”_

He heard Juliet’s cries, but he didn’t know where ‘up’ was and why he needed to get there.

“Revenge time, Shawny.” Northcutt said.

Shawn clearly remembered putting his hands in front of his face to shield himself from the bullet. Then he remembered the shot and overwhelming pains ripping through him and then… _nothing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still one chapter to go! Please keep reading… there may be a twist.... ;)


	7. Chapter 7

_ One hour earlier, right after Shawn left the police department: _

“I think this is the place they’re keeping Detective O’Hara.”

“You’re positive?” Lassiter asked the technician who leaned back in his chair after his good deed.

“Pretty sure. It’s an old warehouse by the docks that has been empty for years. There’s a signal coming from this building which belongs to the IP address of the computer that sent that disturbing video.”

“Spare me the nerdy details, all I want to know is if I can find those bastards there!”

“Yes, you can.” The technician confirmed. “And you asked.”

Lassiter banged his fist on the table. “That’s it, team. Let’s go save my partner. We need snipers and S.W.A.T. and someone go tell Spencer that we’ve found…” Lassiter stopped, looking over to the empty chair where they left Shawn about an hour ago. He glared at Gus. “Where the hell is Spencer?”

Gus made a very unmanly, startled sound and dropped the snacks he actually meant to bring to Shawn before his curiosity glued his eyes to the computer screens where the tech-guys were working their magic. “I-I… He was sitting right there before I left him. I went to get some snacks.”

“You said you would keep an eye on him.” Henry growled.

“I was! I just wanted to check how you guys were getting along for a minute… or two and… oh, my gosh, where is he?!” Gus asked full into panic mode. “Do you think he went to that warehouse all by himself?”

Lassiter twisted his face into a scowl. “Of course, what else would he do?”

“Northcutt must have contacted him.” Chief Vick said. “And instead of telling us he used the fact that no one was looking and went on his own to trade himself for Juliet.”

“Idiot! He’s going to get himself killed.” Lassiter cursed.

“Oh no, that’s my fault…” Gus squeaked on the verge of tears.

“Save it, Guster.” Lassiter said, grabbing his coat. “Come on, let’s hope we get there in time.”

* * *

_ At the warehouse, present: _

_“No! Shawn! You have to get up! Shawn! SHAWN!”_

“Revenge time, Shawny.”

_BANG_

A second _bang _followed the first as the doors were kicked open and the police swarmed in.

“SBPD! Put your weapon down!” Lassiter yelled at Northcutt who whirled around, caught in his deadly act. His eyes were shining with hate and annoyance at the interruption. But there was something else in them. _Satisfaction? Because it’s already too late?_

It was this last thought and the fact that Northcutt still hadn’t put his gun down, but moved to aim it again that made Lassiter pull the trigger.

Whatever had shone in his hateful eyes faded and Northcutt went down.

Lassiter looked around for another threat, but Wayne had been knocked out and was bleeding on the floor. They had also found Rollins unconscious by the front door and the Head Detective could hardly believe that Spencer did all of this on his own. However, not everything seemed to have miraculously turned out fine this time.

Lassiter finally spotted Juliet. She was crying hysterically and fighting against the rope she was tied to. Physically, she seemed to be relatively fine, although her chair had fallen to the side, but her cries were heart-wrenching and blood-curdling.

Lassiter ran over to his partner to release her from her bonds. “O’Hara, are you okay? What happened?” Lassiter asked her, but she didn’t even look at him. Her scared, wide eyes were trained on the motionless figure across from her. Lassiter followed her gaze and his heart froze.

_Oh, no. Spencer._

“Dobson, call an ambulance! And keep Guster and Henry Spencer out of here.” As soon as Lassiter pulled the ropes loose, Juliet bolted out of the chair and ran over to her boyfriend.

Juliet fell to her knees next to Shawn. She touched his bloody, pale face, his dark, sweaty hair and cried even more. _“No! _Shawn, _no_! You can’t be… No, you have to open your eyes. _Please_, honey, _please!” _she begged hysterically, seeming as if she was ripped in two. One part of her dying with him.

Lassiter knelt down beside her, his face grim and unmoving. He tried to look at the facts before him and not into the familiar face that belonged to the apparently dead body. _He actually did it. He died for her._ There was blood drenching the right side of the shirt, his jacket and the top of the jeans, but, oddly enough, there was nothing around the small hole in the middle of his chest. Frowning, Lassiter tore the shirt apart to take a look at the wound and met with another robust, black fabric.

A bulletproof vest.

Juliet inhaled sharply, her surprise mixing with newly blossomed hope clearly shown on her face. She let her shaking hand travel down Shawn’s chest and found the bullet stuck in the SBPD vest that would have otherwise been his undeniable death. “Oh, Shawn.” she whispered, overwhelmed with relief, touching her forehead with his so that she must now be able to feel his shallow breath on her skin.

“He’s alive!” Lassiter exclaimed to everyone around him and freed Shawn from the vest. Purple bruises were already forming on his chest right over his heart and Lassiter noticed that the blood came from Shawn’s patched up gunshot wound on his side. He must have torn the stitches and now the blood was gushing out of his body alarmingly fast. Shawn’s left arm had also started bleeding and Lassiter realized that his personal pain in the neck could die after all, suffering from the second severe blood loss in two days. He quickly covered the nasty open wound with his jacket.

“Hey! Did you hear me?" Lassiter barked. "Where is that damn ambulance!?”

* * *

And here he was, once again waking up to the sound of his own heart as it made steady beeping noises on the heart-rate monitor. But this time, as Shawn managed to force his eyes open, he was greeted by the worried face of his girlfriend.

“Shawn. Thank god, you’re waking up.” Juliet whispered in relief, touching his cheek.

Shawn noticed that Gus and his dad were sleeping in two chairs standing side by side on the far wall of the hospital room. They sweetly rested against each other without noticing. Shawn smiled briefly before glancing back at Juliet, giving her a careful once-over. “Jules, you’re here! Are you okay, sweetheart?” His voice was rough from disuse.

Juliet smiled affectionately, playing with Shawn’s hair and clutching his hand with hers. “Yes, Shawn. I’m here and I’m fine. But you had us worried.” She quickly stopped a tear threatening to drip from the corner of her eye. “You tore your wounds open and you almost bled out before you even arrived at the hospital.” Her voice sounded shaky and she had to pause and breathe before continuing. “Don’t you _ever_ scare me like that again, you crazy, careless man.”

Shawn winced as Juliet put her hand upon his chest, reminding him where the bullet had hit him. He also noticed that he must have been out for longer than the last time he was here, because the effects of the medication had ebbed away already and he was able to remember what happened. Shawn raised her hand from his bruised chest and kissed it. “I’m not careless.” he countered. “I care about you. That’s why I had to do it.”

Juliet covered Shawn’s caressing hands with her free hand. “But you could have been _killed_.” she stressed, clearly thinking back to the all-consuming fear and horror she must have experienced when the shot rang out. “During the whole time you were away in the safehouse and when you broke out to see me, I was afraid of losing you, Shawn. But can you even _imagine_ how utterly terrified I was when Northcutt pointed the gun at your chest… when he pulled the trigger?”

Her whole body had started trembling and despite all of Shawn’s aches and bruises, he pulled her down towards him so she rested against his uninjured shoulder. As her tears drenched his flimsy hospital gown, Shawn realized once again how bad he had screwed up during this whole ordeal.

“I’m so sorry, Jules.” Shawn said, pressing her against him. “It was all my fault. I should have listened to the guards and to Lassie and to everyone who obviously knew better, but I couldn’t.” He paused, trying to find words to explain everything he felt when Juliet had been captured. “I truly feel like the most horrible piece of shit for endangering your life in the first place, for not listening and for scaring you, but… but I… I couldn’t help myself. Honestly. My brain can’t function when it comes to you, Jules.”

That actually made Juliet chuckle a little. “Only when it comes to me?”

“Don’t mock me, sweetheart. I’m serious.” Shawn emphasized. “First, I went crazy because I wasn’t allowed to see you, then I was truly hating myself for leading them to you and finally I… I turned outright furious when Northcutt threatened you. I even broke Lassie’s computer when he touched you.”

“You did?” Juliet asked in surprise, raising her head from Shawn’s shoulder and recognizing the look of pure shame on his face.

“Yeah, I think he’ll get back at me for that eventually.” Shawn pondered. “What I’m saying is that I’m sorry for scaring you and putting you in danger, but I wouldn’t do anything different if he ever tried to hurt you again. I’m not able to think reasonably when it comes to you; there’s too much at risk. You mean too much to me, Jules.”

Tears welled up once again in Juliet’s eyes and she took Shawn's face between her hands, kissing him fiercely. “I understand.” she said quietly. “But he won’t hurt us anymore. Northcutt is dead, Shawn. He died on the way to the hospital as a result of Carlton’s shot.” Juliet explained.

“Thank god.” Shawn whispered, not feeling bad in the least about this particular person’s death. “What about the others?”

“They’re back in prison. Daniel Wayne will never be able to hold let alone shoot a gun and Rollins and Fong had been transferred. Fong is back at the CIA facility where he will continue to get what he deserves.” Juliet clenched her teeth, also clearly not feeling bad about his fate. She continued, “The five other convicts who belonged to the brotherhood have been transferred to different prisons all over the country and were considered the most likely to try something like this again.”

“Wow, five more fan-club-Shawn members.” Shawn said with fake mockery to lighten the mood, not sure if he should be relieved that they’re away now or be intimidated by the fact that there were five more people eager to kill him. “How did all of this happen so fast?”

Juliet sighed. “Do you remember Dwayne Tancana?” she asked finally.

“Yeah, sure. The guy from our bounty hunter case.” Shawn said.

“Also the guy who punched me and still you somehow managed to befriend him and get him off the hook for a murder he didn’t commit.” Juliet pointed out. “He almost finished his sentence for the armed robbery that he _was_ convicted for and he asked for a deal. His immediate release for the names of Northcutt’s brotherhood.”

“So he’s out now?” Shawn asked. “Aww, good, old Dwayne. I should personally thank him for this.” He considered cheerfully.

“I would rather like you to stay away from criminals. _Any_ criminals for that matter.” Juliet admitted eventually, looking into her lap instead of Shawn’s eyes and he knew that she knew he would never give up catching bad guys. Not even if she would ask him to.

Shawn lifted her face with his finger beneath her chin so they were locking gazes again. “I know. I feel the same.” Shawn said. “And that’s why we should never stop fighting against criminals even though it’s dangerous. We’re the best crime-solving team ever, Jules.” He smiled lopsidedly. “You can always count on me and I know that you will always have my back. I honestly wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

Juliet smiled when Shawn said those sweet words, but he could tell he didn’t quite dispel her worries yet. “But what if I can’t one day?” she asked. “What if someday someone decides they have to settle a score with you and kills you for revenge and I can’t be there?”

“Come on, no one would dare to do that anymore.” Shawn reasoned matter-of-factly. “Look what happened to those who take on _us_. One is dead, one is disabled and the other two are back in prison with even less chance to get out some day.”

“I know, but there are so many—“

“Ah, ah. Stop thinking about that. I’m serious, just stop it.” Shawn interrupted, laying one finger over her mouth. “Don’t let this get into your head or you won’t be able to be happy again. And I forbid you to be unhappy, Jules. Effective immediately. This whole thing is over and it won’t happen again.” Shawn vowed solemnly.

Juliet smiled behind Shawn’s finger. She took his hand again and held onto it while she carefully rested her head back on his shoulder. “What makes you so sure?”

Shawn stroked over her back with his free hand and hugged her closer. “Simple. Because I won’t ever leave you again. The word ‘safehouse’ has been erased from my vocabulary. I’m staying with you no matter what.” And because Shawn had never felt so much fear in his life as when Juliet appeared on the computer screen with the gun pressed to her head and because he genuinely knew for a fact that Juliet was the only person on this planet he would ever love this much, he added, “Jules, I want to live with you.”

Juliet head shot up in amazement, staring right into Shawn’s green eyes to find out if he was joking. But they glinted with pure sincerity. “You’re serious?”

“Of course, I am.” Shawn confirmed. “Finally I’m doing something sensible, don’t you agree? I’d be with you like twenty-four-seven to protect you. And you can prevent me from doing stupid things. It’s like our own, personal safehouse.”

“Haven’t you just said you banned that word from your vocabulary?” Juliet remarked mischievously.

“Sorry, my bad. I meant it would be our own, personal _home_. You and me at one place.” Shawn grinned, loving the way it sounded. “What do you say? You in?”

Juliet lifted herself up to Shawn’s face, smiling. “Oh, I’m _so_ in.” She said, kissing him.

Gus sniffed. “Oh man, this is really happening. You’re going to move in with your girlfriend.”

Henry jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow for giving them away, but then he smiled. “Unbelievable, son, I think you’re actually growing up.”

Shawn and Juliet separated quickly. “Gus! Dad!” Shawn exclaimed, his ears turning red. “How long have you guys been listening!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for reading and for your kudos and comments! I'll be posting more Psych stories soon, so keep looking out… :)  
I hope you enjoyed this story and I especially thank my writer buddy cosette141 for her help with some tricky plot problems, haha. Figuring everything out with you had been fun! ;)


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